Bhagwat says that for Gandhiji his dharma and patriotism were no different, as his love for the country originated from his spirituality.
The head of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Mohan Bhagwat, said on Friday that it was in the basic character and nature of a Hindu to be patriotic and that his love for his homeland flowed from his dharma or spiritual and religious beliefs, something even Mahatma Gandhi of whom he speaks in his writings.
Mr. Bhagwat was speaking at an event to launch the book, “How to Become a Hindu Patriot: Background to Gandhiji’s Hind Swaraj,” written by JK Bajaj and MD Srinivas.
Describing the book as an authentic scholarly research document on Gandhiji, Mr. Bhagwat said that Gandhiji suggested that for him his dharma and patriotism were no different, as his love for his homeland originated from his spirituality.
“Gandhiji had said that his patriotism originates from his dharma,” said Bhagwat, stating that dharma did not just mean religion, it was broader than religion.
“If someone is a Hindu he has to be a patriot, that will be his basic character and nature. Sometimes you may have to wake up his patriotism, but he [Hindu] it can never be anti-India. But we have to be aware that if you love your country that doesn’t just mean the land, it means its people, its rivers, its culture, its traditions and everything, “he said.
Underlining that Hinduism believes in the existence of unity, “the difference does not mean separatism and Gandhiji has suggested that Hinduism is the religion of all religions,” he said.
When publishing the book, Bhagwat stated categorically that there was no need to speculate that Sangh “is trying to appropriate Gandhiji, that is not the case, no one can appropriate great personalities like him.”
Speaking of Gandhiji’s Swarajya, Bhagwat said that he was not only referring to changing rulers or becoming self-governing, for him [Gandhiji] the fight for Swaraj was the rebuilding of society based on values of civilization.
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